Laundry cart with lid and motion damper

ABSTRACT

A laundry cart with a lid and motion damper is disclosed. The laundry cart has a frame for supporting a bag in use such that the bag defines an open receptacle, a lid attached to the frame for pivotal movement to and from a closed position, and a motion damper attached to the lid and to the frame and adapted to resist motion of the lid to the closed position.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/228,733, filed on Jul. 27, 2009, the disclosureof which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to laundry carts.

BACKGROUND

Laundry carts equipped with lids are commonly used in hospitals or otherinstitutional settings. These lids are often hinged and, for durability,are often relatively heavy and made out of relatively hard substances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for use with a bag having an opening forms one aspect ofthe invention. The apparatus comprises a frame for supporting said bagin use such that the bag defines an open receptacle; a lid having aclosed position whereat, in use, the lid occludes the receptacle, thelid being attached to the frame for pivotal movement to and from theclosed position and such that the lid, when in positions away from theclosed position, is biased by gravity for movement to the closedposition; and a motion damper attached to the lid and to the frame andadapted to resist motion of the lid to the closed position.

According to another aspect of the invention, the frame and lid cancollectively define a laundry bag cart.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the apparatus canfurther comprise a linkage for opening the lid and a foot pedal foractuating the linkage.

According to further aspects of the invention: the pivot axis in use canbe disposed adjacent the top of the frame and on a side of the frameopposite that associated with the foot pedal; and the lid may have anedge substantially aligned with and adjacent to the pivot axis andextend therefrom substantially horizontally, when in the closedposition, and substantially vertically, when in a fully open positionfor receiving laundry.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the damper can comprisea cylinder and a piston. This piston is mounted in the cylinder forreciprocating movement, one of the cylinder and piston is pivotallyconnected to the frame and the other of the piston and cylinder ispivotally connected to the lid, adjacent to the pivot axis.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the damper can beconfigured such that movement of the lid to the closed position isassociated with retraction of the piston into the cylinder, and airflows more readily into the cylinder than out of the cylinder.

According to further aspects of the invention

-   -   the frame can include: a pair of upright portions, defining, in        part, the side of the frame opposite that associated with the        foot pedal; and a pintle bar rigidly extending between the        upright portions;    -   the lid can include a pair of lugs, spaced apart from one        another and through which the pintle bar extends, providing for        said pivotal connection of the lid and the frame;    -   one of the cylinder and piston can be pivotally connected to one        of the upright portions; and the other of the piston and        cylinder can be pivotally connected to one of the lugs.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent topersons of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the appended claimsand upon review of the following detailed description of an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a laundry cart according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the top portion of the cart ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the cart of the exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A laundry cart 2 with lid 16 according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention is drawn in side and perspective views in FIGS. 1,2 and shownin perspective in FIGS. 3 and 4. The cart 2 has a frame 3 formed frommetal tubing. The frame 3 comprises a base 4, two vertical supports 12,and an upper rectangular rim 22 (hidden in FIG. 1 by the lid 16). Thesubstantially square lid 16 is made out of rigid plastic and is mountednear its back edge on top of the upper rim 22 by means of a hinge 14.This allows the lid 16 to open or close by pivoting about the hinge 14.A motion damper 18, shown here as a pneumatic cylinder, is attachedbetween the lid 16 and one of the supports 12, acting as a linear motiondamper or dashpot to slow the downward motion of the lid 16 when it isdropped or actively closed. This avoids pinched fingers and unwelcomenoise associated with unrestrained closure.

The base 4 has four wheels 6 rotationally mounted on its bottom surface,allowing the cart 2 to be moved easily. The base 4 also supports a footpedal 8 mounted at its rear portion to the base 4 by means of a footpedal hinge 9. Forward of this hinge 9, two arms 10 are pivotallyattached to the foot pedal 8. Each arm 10 comprises a pair of flat,elongate metal members joined end-to-end at a hinged joint 11. The topend of each arm 10 is pivotally attached to a respective lug 19extending along a rear protrusion 17 of lid 16 located to the rear ofthe lid hinge 14.

A laundry bag 24 (as indicated in dashed outline in FIG. 1) can beattached to the upper rim 22 of the frame 3, with its bottom resting ona horizontal surface 5 of the base 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown,this surface 5 comprises a metal grill.

The foot pedal assembly lifts the lid 16 in response to downwardpressure on the pedal 8. Downward motion of the pedal 8 pulls the arms10 down, which in turn pull down the rear protrusion 17 of the lid 16,pivoting the lid 16 about the lid hinge 14 and raising and opening themain portion of lid 16. The joint 11 of the arms 10 allows them to bendand thereby prevents them from being bent or snapped in response to,e.g., upward pressure on the foot pedal 8.

In FIG. 2, the upper rim 22 of the frame 3 is seen to be an extension ofthe metal tubing composing the vertical supports 12. The lid 16 ismounted on the hinge 14, which is formed by a pintle bar 15 passingacross the width of the upper rim 22 and passing through the lugs 19attached to lid 16. On this pintle bar 15 is also pivotally mounted alaundry bag clamp 20 which can be laid to rest atop the upper rim 22.The bag clamp 20 is made of a dense material, such as solid iron, makingit effective to hold in place a laundry bag 24 whose lip is wrappedaround the clamp 20 and placed between the upper rim 22 and the clamp20. The upper rim 22 and bag clamp 20 thus effectively operate as asupport 23 for the laundry bag's mouth, supporting the bag 24 andholding its mouth open to receive laundry items placed into it fromabove when the lid 16 is open. Although the weight of the bag 24 may beprimarily supported by the horizontal surface 5 of the base 4, the bagclamp 20 may be further configured to self-tighten as downward force isexerted by the weight of the bag 24.

The motion damper 18 is also shown in FIG. 2 in more detail. The bottomend of the motion damper 18 is pivotally mounted to one of the verticalsupports 12, and the top end is pivotally mounted to the lug 19 of thelid 16 forward of the point where the pintle bar 15 passes through thelug 19, forming the lid hinge 14. The arms 10 of the foot pedal 8 arealso shown pivotally attached to the rear protrusion 17 of the lid 16,to the rear of the lid hinge 14.

Although but a single exemplary embodiment is shown, numerousmodifications can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention.

For example, the motion damper 18 may be embodied as a linear dashpot ordamper, such as a hydraulic cylinder or pneumatic cylinder. It mayalternatively be embodied as a rotary dashpot or damper and mounted soas to damp the rotation of the lid 16 about its hinge 14. It may allowunopposed movement in the opposite direction—i.e., lifting and openingthe lid—or it may incorporate some counter-force to automatically closethe lid, such as a spring. The motion damper may, in some embodiments,also include an active force component, such as pressurized gas or acompression spring, acting against the weight of the lid even whenstatic.

The various pivotal attachments of the cart 2 may be embodied as a pairof holes in the respective attached surfaces or objects, joined togetherby a bolt or screw and held in place by a nut and washer assembly. Theymay alternatively be embodied as an axle or pintle bar attached to thefixed object and passing through one or more holes in the rotatingobject. In one embodiment, the lid 16, bag clamp 20, and foot pedal 8are mounted to the frame 3 on axles, while the other pivotal attachmentsuse a simple nut-bolt-washer assembly. The pintle bars on which the lid16 and bag clamp 20 pivot may be a single pintle bar 15 or two distinctpintle bars.

While the base 4, vertical supports 12, and upper rim 22 of the frame 3are described as being composed of metal tubing, any rigid material canbe used for them, and they may have different shapes. Similarly, the lid16 can be formed of substances other than rigid plastic, and may becircular, ovoid, semicircular, or any other shape. The bag mouth support23 need not be embodied as the upper rim of the frame 22 and a bag clamp20. Any apparatus capable of supporting the top of a bag 24 and keepingits mouth open would serve the same function.

The cart 2 can be embodied without wheels 6 or without the foot pedal 8and associated arms 10. The cart 2 in some embodiments may be fixed inplace rather than movable. In some embodiments, the cart 2 mayincorporate a bag or basket for laundry directly instead of having ameans for attaching a separate bag 24. In addition, the cart 2 need notbe used solely for laundry: some embodiments may be carts or receptaclesfor refuse or for any other substance stored in a lidded container.

The various embodiments presented above are merely examples and are inno way meant to limit the scope of this invention. Further variations ofthe innovations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinaryskill in the art, such variations being within the intended scope of thepresent application. In particular, features from one or more of theabove-described embodiments may be selected to create alternativeembodiments comprised of a sub-combination of features which may not beexplicitly described above. In addition, features from one or more ofthe above-described embodiments may be selected and combined to createalternative embodiments comprised of a combination of features which maynot be explicitly described above. Features suitable for suchcombinations and sub-combinations would be readily apparent to personsskilled in the art upon review of the present application as a whole.

The subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology and the invention.Accordingly, it should be understood that the scope of the presentinvention is limited only by the accompanying claims, purposivelyconstrued.

1. Apparatus for use with a bag having an opening, the apparatuscomprising: a frame for supporting said bag in use such that the bagdefines an open receptacle; a lid having a closed position whereat, inuse, the lid occludes the receptacle, the lid being attached to theframe for pivotal movement to and from the closed position and such thatthe lid, when in positions away from the closed position, is biased bygravity for movement to the closed position; and a motion damperattached to the lid and to the frame and adapted to resist motion of thelid to the closed position.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe frame and lid collectively define a laundry bag cart.
 3. Apparatusaccording to claim 2, further comprising a linkage for opening the lidand a foot pedal for actuating the linkage.
 4. Apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein in use, the pivot axis is disposed adjacent the top ofthe frame and on a side of the frame opposite that associated with thefoot pedal; the lid has an edge substantially aligned with and adjacentto the pivot axis and extends therefrom substantially horizontally, whenin the closed position; and substantially vertical, when in a fully openposition for receiving laundry.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4,wherein the damper comprises a cylinder and a piston, the piston beingmounted in the cylinder for reciprocating movement; one of the cylinderand piston being pivotally connected to the frame; and the other of thepiston and cylinder being pivotally connected to the lid, adjacent tothe pivot axis.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the damper isconfigured such that: movement of the lid to the closed position isassociated with retraction of the piston into the cylinder; and airflows more readily into the cylinder than out of the cylinder. 7.Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the frame includes: a pair ofupright portions, defining, in part, the side of the frame opposite thatassociated with the foot pedal; and a pintle bar rigidly extendingbetween the upright portions; the lid includes a pair of lugs, spacedapart from one another and through which the pintle bar extends,providing for said pivotal connection of the lid and the frame; the oneof the cylinder and piston is pivotally connected to one of the uprightportions; and the other of the piston and cylinder is pivotallyconnected to one of the lugs.